Cup o Caf at Starlight Studios
☁ Starlight Studios Corporate Offices -- New Alderaan: Ord Mantell This busy and multi-tiered office is spacious and well designed. Heated floors and controlable enviornmental consoles ensure a comfortable atmosphere for its tremendous amount of show business occupants. Many doors surround the central office of Starlight Studios. The names of some of the galaxies most talented and well known producers grace the thick opaqued windows nearby. The main inner office door stands open. Inside, a large wooden desk stands towards the north wall and several executive black repulsor-chairs hover nearby. The desk has several datapads and the latest communications devices on its surface. It is here that most of the business of the studios is conducted. A full bar and mini entertainment holo-screen sit at the extreme west of the office where a serving droid offers talent and executives alike mixed drinks. The busy corporate offices of Starlight Studios is abuzz with the sounds of beeping comlinks and loud conversation. Some of the galaxies welathiest and best known entertainers have their own offices at the complex. It has been years since Dain has made it out to Ord Mantell. The Corellian Studios take up most of his spare time and ever since Starlight went galactic, the Corellian has had less reason to make the trip to Ord Mantell. Dain nods to a few of the agents and casting directors but spares no time to stop and converse. He does say hello to each by name and offers a bright smile to the collected folks of Starlight. Dain pushes his way through a group of interns who take a moment to figure out who he is before picking up their comlinks and calling friends about the brief run in. One of Dain's oldest allies has an office here and without that man none of this would have been possible. It has been ages since Lando Calrissian had come into his office here. Dain fondly shines the name on the man's door before heading into his own office next door. Spotting a new secretary he smiles and introduces himself. "I'll be in my office, I'm expecting Ambassador Ambrosia but if she sens someone else, please show them in." Dain quickly makes his way inside his office and pours himself a Corellian lum. He flops down into his seat and puts his feet up on his desk. Everything just as the holo-producer left it. *Click*Clack*Click*... The sound of smartly marching heels are quite commonplace in an executive building like Starlight, but when the wearer is decked out with a tiny pin upon her suitjacket's shoulder designating her as a member of the diplomatic corp, let alone a senior gov't official? Well...folks may take note. "I've an appointment with Mr. Dain," she announces to the secretary after coming to hover over the young employee's desk. Not one hundred percent true - they hadn't set a particular time, nor had she formally confirmed the alleged appt, but a little fib here and there isn't going to start a galactic war here and now, in this office. Annoyed staff? Possibly. Just in case, Ambasssador Delgard flashes her best political showgirl smile. There isn't a set of eyes that doesn't watch as Ambrosia and her retinue enters the offices. Amongst the ladies and gentlemen of Starlight one stands out among all the rest. Adventure action hero Clark Galaxy, star of Tatooine Bob and a dozen other highly successful Starlight productions. Clark has his own gathering of young professionals who seem to be clearing absolutely everything with him that they discuss on their comlinks. The galactic holo-star looks up from his retinue and glances at Ambrosia. Smiling he turns his attention back to his job at hand. As Ambrosia arrives at the office of Ewan Dain the secretary greets her and gestures towards the large door behind her. "Mr. Dain said he was expecting you, or someone from government. He's in there now. Can I bring you a coffee or anything, Ambassador?" the young woman asks. Was that...what'shisface. Ambrosia takes a belated glance over her shoulder to the holovid actor, mouth open but silent with delayed response to the secretary's question. It is whatshisface. Clark something. Clark cheeseysomething. Universe? No, too self-absorbed, even by celebrity standards. Galaxy? Maybe. Evidently she doesn't keep up with the entertainment side of media enough. "...sure," the ambassador finally replies, but fails to specify 'what'. "Thank you." And that's that. She's already on the move again for the door with his name on it. As his door opens Dain spots the face of Ambrosia and smiles. Setting his hardly touched lum aside he stands up to greet her and offers her a seat at his desk. "You made it!" Dain sticks his head out of the office for a second and shouts to his secretary, "I'm going to need to clear my schedule for the rest of the evening. Could you be a sport and brings us all some refreshments? Whatever you can grab from catering should be good." Dain's secretary looks over a holo-pad and nods. "You don't have anything scheduled for the day." Dain pushes his hand through his short hair and chuckles. "Oh." is the Corellian's only response. "Thanks!" Dain says as he heads back into his office, closing the door behind him. "So, Ambrosia! I'm glad you're here, I was hoping to pick up our conversation where we left off." Dain missed Kashyyyk already. The Aide standing in Ambrosia's wake exchanges a curious glance with the statuesque bodyguard assigned for the day. First name basis? How interesting...The guard catches the look and upturns a brow of her own before leveling a stony stare ahead and adjusting her thumb's grip on her holster. "Must be nice," Ambrosia remarks on his schedule after he closes the door and moves on in to claim a repulsor chair for herself. "I presume your contact meeting went well?" She looks to the controls on the chair and runs a hand over the armrest. THIS is nice. Dain seats himself and looks at the Ambassador for a moment, perhaps a little longer than is polite. He enjoyed seeing the woman at the studios. If she'd chosen a different career path she might have been on of Starlight's finest. "Very briefly. This isn’t the first time I've told them I wanted to involve myself again." Dain chuckles and shrugs. "I have a strange history with NRI. The courted me for ages until I finally gave in and join in as the Director. I managed to get the honor wall up but little else happened in my time there. When things heated up, I returned to Corellia to help on the front there. I am guessing NRI is a little weary of whether or not I can put Starlight and Corellia behind me, and make NRI first." "It's an understandable concern." Ambrosia mirrors the stare for as long as he dishes it out, unwavering. Because, while she's not blind nor immune to all charm, she's definitely not a stranger to being in the hot seat. Sometimes literally. Sometimes it was cold. Mostly cold. Burned, frozen, beaten into pulps, dehydrated into cardiac arrest and death...it's been a fine career, serving the people of the Republic. "Though I wouldn't classify your time on Corellia's front during its liberation as being counter productive to the Republic's interests...I spent an intriguing week planetside myself, making sure the rebel cells we were arming were putting their new weapons to good use. 'Enjoyed' a rather fascinating tour of Coronet's sewer system." Ambrosia's lips press into a slightly humored smile as she dwells a moment on the memory. "I'm sure they won't take long to reach a verdict, whatever that may be." Pausing, she breaks eye contact in favor of taking a longer look around this impressively spacious office. There were briefing rooms smaller than this, back on base. "Settling into a career in the vid industry, well...that proves you've some degree of lunacy required for the job. Though I'm sure it's been lucrative. People do enjoy a good distraction." It was true, Dain had always had a screw loose but he twisted it to his benefit. Running a holo-studio allowed him to do almost everything he enjoyed. He'd often thought that perhaps if someone else had started Starlight he might've the Clark Galaxy of the company. Dain is pretty sure he can out act Clark. "They do, and so do I. Unfortunately my altruism gets the best of me and from here all I can do is raise money and speak out. Both good but I have never been comfortable just sitting back and let other people do the hard work." Dain's thoughts are interrupted as the secretary arrives with a pot of Caf and a tray of mugs. She sets it in front of Dain and excuses her self. "For instance. Let me pour you all a mug of Caf." After pouring the hot brew for anyone interested, Dain pours one for himself and sits on the edge of his desk, closer to the Ambassador and able to speak more discreetly. "I've thought that perhaps I could use my talents as a holo-producer to, put together some films for the New Republic. I hate to use the word propaganda because I'd only speak the truth. Do you think the NR might have use for something like that?" The bodyguard shifts slightly as Dain makes himself comfortable a little closer to her charge than she'd prefer. Force of habit. A swift and knowing look from the ambassador sees her trigger finger relaxing, and jaw setting into a milder version of the previous frown. At ease, soldier. The Aide simply sips and listens. Silent and alert. Probably jotting more notes than necessary for her own benefit. The sound of tapping fingers earns a second look from Ambrosia, all before Dain finishes his spiel. "Of course," she murmurs from over the steaming rim of caf. The Aide goes still, but that's maybe not enough. A little jerk of her head suggests that her shadow go...somewhere else. It's getting crowded and she never actually /requested/ and Aide to begin with. Just showed up upon her return with orders. Probably a plant FROM NRI, having to think up new ways to monitor her whereabouts and interactions. Lame. "Endorsements are always welcome, provided they /do/ speak nothing but truth. And focus on more than simply aiming to smear Imperial reputation. As delightful as finger-pointing the soulless bastards may be, it is a bit childish." *Sip* It's hot, probably, but her tongue doesn't seem to notice. There /is/ a bit of a wince as she swallows, on the other hand, and it travels the length of her gullet. Oh well. *Sip* and she toggles a control on the chair with her left hand. It's without the brace today, and as such, takes a couple tries to hit the right button. UP it lifts just a few inches to bring her out from under the desk-perching CO's shadow. Fun! And back down it goes, settling into neutral height once more. How come Leia hadn't invested in more of these? The Corellian watches as the ambassador enjoys the office seating. He'd done the exact same thing when they'd first come in to the office. "I have friend on Corellia who can get you a great deal on repulsorlift technology if you're ever interested." Dain takes a sip of his own caf and lets the flavor resonate in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. He drank a lot of lum and usually he saved caf for the days he was hungover which hardly happened anymore at all. He takes another sip and glances at Ambrosia's retinue briefly with a smile. He'd have to be more professional. Sometimes that conflicted with Dain's Corellian attributes. Speaking closely to someone, or even being a little too familiar with strangers was a trait he admired most of his people. "It's funny you mention that. Years ago I started a little side project called Galaxy Tours. I talk about it a lot so I apologize if you've heard it. Anyway, I had this idea to outfit a yacht and allow people to travel the galaxy in it. The business did fairly well but I never got to see certain parts of it to completion. I had this possibly crazy idea to produce tourist films. Hire some of the best holo-film documentarians and produce dozens of short films that showed the planets of the galaxy in their best light." Dain can't help but take one more sip before continuing. His mug now almost empty. "Perhaps something like that still wouldn't be a bad idea for the Republic..." 'Professional' Ambrosia Delgard is still playing with the chair. Back...and forward into the desk-oof-too-close-baaack. There. Her lips curl with simple amusement. "Valoramosa..." (The first step...) Apparently she knows a bit about Corellian culture. Like its language. Accent's just a touch off, though, so she's no native. "Show the beauty that's worth protecting. A system that while not without its own flaws, does promote the individualism of each member world's customs, heritage...differences are to be celebrated. Not made to conform into the mold that is 'human'." She takes another sip of the caf then puts the mug to rest on the table before she spills it. "That sounds like a lovely idea. Could serve to enlighten the average xenophobe." Crossing one leg over the other, she toggles again and the chair angles into a slight recline. There we go. That's the spot. Leaving the controls be, she folds that fidgety hand within its mate and settles both in her lap. Dain chuckles and decides to take a seat back on his own repulsor lift chair. He joins Ambrosia in the childlike joy for a moment before settling back down. He takes a holo-pad from his desk drawer and pulls up a few notes labeled GALAXY TOURS. "These are all my notes on the tour. I have a few sections on Tatooine and Ithor but not much else. In your opinion, as an ambassador for the NR. What do you think are the undeniable gems of the Republic? To be honest, I am not even sure which planets are members any longer." Dain had long been absent from membership himself. "For instance, what planet are you from, what do you remember most about it?" Dain was asking for professional reasons, but his curiosity may have played a small part in the questions as well. Ambrosia's brows perform a little hop of surprise while the rest of her expression shifts into cool neutrality. "I...am not certain that I could single any one out," she diplomatically replies. A very PC response, but also containing more than a kernel of truth. There are many gems. All, arguably, are - as seen from the perspective of their inhabitants. "but I could provide you with an updated roster." The caf magically finds its way into her hands again and she stares thoughtfully into the tepid swirl of residual froth. Or spittle. A glance at the datapad held in his hands, then "Chandrila, for instance, holds a number of sights worth seeing. The crystal canyons, for one. On Corellia, I am partial to the gold beaches," which may or may not be related to her holding property there. "Caspar, while never a member of the Republic, was a true beauty to behold. The mountains of Marin, Orleanon's rocky cliffs overlooking the sea..." she trails off, masterful mask crumpling a bit to reveal some mixed emotions hidden beneath. "So many others. One cannot contest the raw beauty of what some may deem 'primitive' worlds. Primordial forests, rolling grasslands, untarnished reefs..." she offers a hapless shrug and shake of her head. "I confess I've not enjoyed much travel for pleasure's sake. Much of my career's been spent bouncing between just a small handful of worlds." Which covers the last fifteen years of her life. But prior to that? She blows a thin stream of air needlessly over the caf's surface before taking a longer swallow, but it's something to do. Dain makes an effort to not take notes as it seems the ambassador's memories and thoughts were more personal than he knew. "I did always like Chandrila, only been there a few times. I've done a fair bit of traveling but always end up back on Corellia. I've tried living on Nar Shaddaa, the Corellian sector of course, but while it had all the trappings of my home planet the soul of it was entirely Nar Shaddaa. I had a little restaurant there for a while. This is when I was expanding Starlight into a general entertainment company and moving away from just holo-films." Dain sets his caf aside, empty and pulls out a com-card from his coat pocket. He slides it over to Ambrosia. "If you ever get some time off, I'll take you on the Yacht, I occasionally have parties aboard her. All upstanding people, you'd like most of them." "Most of them," Ambrosia echoes wryly and reaches with just a finger to drag the card nearer for inspection, which lasts about 2.4 seconds before she palms it into a jacket pocket. "That's a kind offer to make. Thank you." There's not exactly sparkles and joy reflecting from her eyes as she contemplates a cruise onboard said yacht, however. Or any yacht. Or any ship, not deemed necessary to transport her from point A to point B. Which reminds her of the very, very big ship Mr. Oppenhiemer seemed insistent upon her 'enjoying' with her daughter as a tag-along to his most certainly dysfunctional family vacation. Which brings about a rather queasy sensation in the pit of her belly. Inhaling thinly through her nose, she forces a more convincing smile forward. "I'm afraid I'd only disappoint. Likely find a vantage point nearest to the food and be content to dwell there for the duration of the evening." Dain smiles and taps the desk with his hand. "Or perhaps something else..." He tries to get a measure of what the ambassador might really like to do. She'd been extremely helpful to him. And he'd offered her almost nothing in return. "Even better, I have two tickets to a concert all the kids are crazy for. In my desk somewhere..." He looks through his desk and produces two square cornered pieces of paper. He offers them to the ambassador. "You and your daughter should go. Please take them, least I can do for all you've done for me over the last week." "I..." Ambrosia's hand wavers, halfway to accepting the tix. A crowded amphitheater, hordes of noisy bodies, dark darks and blinding brights. A security nightmare. A thin bead of sweat starts to form along her hairline. But, there are ways to throw one's weight around, get behind the stage, away from the people and the screaming. Still in the dark, though. Normal people do these things, though, despite the inherent dangers they weren't even aware existed! 'Why can't you just be a normal mom' Gabi's voice cuts into her doubt and gives her inclination to refuse a moment's pause. Normal. Normal says... "Who is this? I mean, that, this, isn't necessary, I'm simply assisting to align our assets..em." 'Just shut up' says her own inner voice. Be quiet. Glancing down then back up, she feels her cheeks warm a bit as they crease. Genuine gratitude flushes some life back into her momentarily paled face. "Thank you. I'm sure some of Gabi's friends will be in attendance, so...she'll be thrilled." Even if she wouldn't, her little tomboy of a daughter. Taking them delicately from his hand, she squints at the writing. "Good! Very good. I don't listen to the newer music much these days. Concerts are for the young." Even though Dain was only in his thirties, concerts were usually very far from his thoughts. He'd been to a few on Corellia as a teenager. The angst just isn't there anymore though. "If there are any events you guys might like to go to in the future, you have my holo-term numbers. I have a bunch of free tickets I will simply never use." Dain leans back in his chair and regards Ambrosia for another moment before glancing back at his holo-pad. "I'll start working on some ideas for the tourism films. Just a fun project. I could use your help here and there when you're available. I'll have my people call your people." What Dain really meant was, he'd call himself. "And I mean this... If I can be of any service to your office or the NR you only need call me." "...Certainly." A succinct reply to his windy one. Pocketing the concert tickets into the same pocket as his yacht/business card, Ambrosia tosses back the last dregs of caf in the mug. It's cold. Alas. "I find myself looking forward to seeing what it is you come up with, Mr. Dain." On all accounts, perhaps. After returning the repulsor chair to its upright and stable position, she rises to extend a hand for the shaking. "Do be in touch. I'll be departing for Tattooine in a couple days, but there is a holoterm onboard our shuttle, should you have questions or concerns regarding....all of that," a vague gesture to his datapad with her other hand which tremors ever-so-steadily on. Dain takes the offered hand politely and shakes the ambassador's hand with both of his. "No doubt I'll be in touch soon. I'll also brief you on any distance I make with Rep Intel." Dain stands from his chair and slowly walks the ambassador as far as the entrance to the offices when she decides to head that way. "I can already think of half a dozen questions but you're busy, and I have to pretend to be busy. So for now, I bid you a good afternoon ambassador. The pleasure has been mine."